The seventh and eighth graders hosted their final art show of the year, featuring the theme of “True Colors.” The exhibits included a spider’s web made out of multi-colored yarn, students’ still lives, paintings, and activities. The student-constructed activities involved identifying an object from a small image and creating logo stickers that identify students’ personalities. Ms. Stephens works with students in the middle and high school to produce student-lead art shows in which students create the art, decorate the school, publicize the event, and create interactive activities to keep guests engaged and involved in the artistic process.

Eighth graders culminate their yearlong advisory competitions with Spirit Week. The competition began on Monday, as students played Advisory Feud, guessing what each other’s answers were based on a survey conducted in advisory last week. On Tuesday, students wore matching ensembles that showcased either monochromatic fashion choices, or matched outfits with their peers. The winning trio were Lisa Trejo, Gabby Rodriguez and Amaya Tatum. Afterschool Tuesday, students vied for the role of valediction speaker, with complex well-crafted speaches that they had written. Max Regardie, Robbie Mirabello, Zoe Edelman, Charles Brown, Fiona Campbell, Celia Doherty, Lucien Anderson, Lydia Moore, and Amaya Tatum all gave strong performances, and after much debate, the teachers selected Campbell’s speech as the winner to be given at valediction. On Wednesday, students dressed for success donning polos, button-downs, vests, suits, ties, skirts, and fancy dresses. Thursday students competed in an Olympic challenge, with assorted games and competitions throughout the day. Finally, Friday concluded the amazing week with the Black and White dance, the final dance of the year for the middle school. The advisory competitions bring together students with their peers and help them finish eighth grade with humor, playful competition, and style. 

On Tuesday, teachers spoke with Mr. Hagerty’s history classes about their experiences and memories surrounding September 11 in preparation for the eleventh grade field trip Thursday to the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Mr. Alpert,  Ms. Raskin, Ms. Nevola, Ms. Breitman, Mr. Porcelli, Mr. Yonker, Mr. Torrence, Ms. Smith, and Ms. Collins shared personal memories from the day. Students had insightful questions about how the event impacted foreign policy and how the media covered the aftermath. In the past, Mr. Hagerty’s class has welcomed professors, military servicemen, and other people to add to their understanding of history through oral narrative.